


After the war

by readeverystory



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, previously published on ff.net, series of One-shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-08-13 16:23:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20177248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/readeverystory/pseuds/readeverystory
Summary: This is a series of one-shots about the Weasley/Potter-Clan and their friends after the war and how they are dealing with loss and moving on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I published this on ff.net a couple of years ago (was my first fanfiction) and was too lazy to put it here too, but I´m bored and thought i might as well finally do it. I haven´t edited anything, so this is still my writing style from some years ago. I still hope you enjoy it.

The bed was as comfortable as Harry remembered it. It looked just the same as it had a year before, just a bit more dusty because of the battle. The Gryffindor Tower hadn't been damaged. It was just a bit dirtier. The Fat Lady had let Harry in without a password, she smiled at him and told her friend Violet, that “this is Harry Potter, I always knew he would turn out special, always predicted it and always supported him.”  
Harry sighed as he lay himself on the bed, even up here he could hear the constant chattering of the survivors down in the Great Hall.  
Survivors, Harry thought, that is what they were. They weren't happy, everybody had lost someone, a friend, a relative, but they had survived.  
And, Harry mused, one could work with that.  
Just as he closed his eyes, he heard someone the door to the dorm open.  
“Harry?”, someone whispered.  
Harry held his breath. How often had he imagined to hear her voice in the past few months ? How often had he closed his eyes and had seen her pretty face in his head?  
“Harry? Are you awake?”  
Harry sat up and there he stood.  
“Ginny”, he breathed.  
She was even more beautiful than she had been in summer. She was just perfect. Her hair was dusty but still shined and her eyes were puffed and red from crying, but she was still perfect to him.  
“Would... would you mind if I join you?”, she asked.  
Harry shook his head and made room for her in his bed.  
They sat there silently for a few minutes. Harry wanted to say so much to her, he didn't know where to begin.  
“It's really over, isn't it?”, Ginny asked finally.  
“Yes.”  
“We won.”  
“Yes.”  
“Doesn't feel that way, though.”  
“No, it doesn't.”  
Suddenly there were tears in Ginny's eyes.  
“Fred, Tonks, Lupin a-and Colin and God knows how many others”, she sobbed.  
“I'm so sorry, Gin-Gin.”  
“Don't”, she said. “You saved so many others. We would all be dead if not for you. You're a hero.”  
Harry didn't respond. He didn't feel like a hero.  
Ginny sobbed a few minutes, than she took a deep breath. The tears were gone, for now, at least.  
“Will you hold me?”, she asked him. “Until I fall asleep?”  
Harry smiled. There wasn't anything he would love to do more. “Sure.”  
They lay back down.  
“Can you promise me something?”, Ginny asked.  
“Anything.”  
“Don't ever run of like that again. And never, ever scare me with playing dead.”  
Harry chuckled. “I won't, Gin-Gin.”  
“Gin-Gin?”  
“Thought I'd try something new.”  
“I like it.”  
Harry inhaled smilingly. Ginny still smelled like flowers, he noticed. God, he had missed her scent. He breathed in again.  
“I missed you”, he whispered.  
“I missed you, too”, Ginny mumbled already half-asleep.  
Harry fell asleep after that with a small smile on his face. He wasn't happy, but he had survived and so had Ginny. Together they would regain their happiness and build a new life.


	2. Chapter 2

“Uncle Harry”, squeaked six-year-old Teddy Lupin in delight and flung himself at the young man.  
Harry chuckled and picked his godson up. “Hey, little one, how are you?”  
“I'm not little”, Teddy protested.  
Harry grinned. “As long as I can pick you up, you'll always be little.”  
Teddy huffed, then he smiled suddenly. “That means I can't set the table.”  
“And why is that?”  
“Grandma said, that big boys can set the table and made me do it, 'cause I'm her big boy, but if you say, that I'm little...”  
Harry smiled. He knew he shouldn't. Andromeda would probably scold him later for planting flaws in Teddy's head, but he couldn't help it.  
“It would be nice of you to help you're Grandmother and you know that”, Harry said finally.  
Teddy looked at his godfather and considered his statement.  
“Maybe”, he answered.  
“Where is Aunt Ginny?”, Teddy asked.  
“Home. I thought it would be nice if it were just the two of us, what do you say?”  
Teddy smiled widely. “Awesome.”  
“So what would you wanna do?”  
“Quidditch”, Teddy shouted.  
Harry wasn't surprised. His godson loved Quidditch and he was good at it for his six years. He would definitely play in his House Team when he got to Hogwarts.  
“Okay, but don't tell your Grandmother, you know she forbid it, after we broke the window last time.”  
Teddy giggled, exited that he would have to keep something a secret. “I won't”  
“Good, then come on.”


	3. Chapter 3

“So what bedtime-story do you want to hear?”, Harry asked his godson.   
“Tell me about Mommy and Daddy”, Teddy said.  
Harry smiled. It was always the same. This was their little ritual, whenever little Teddy came over and visited him. Harry probably wasn't the best person to tell Teddy about his parents, but he would only asked Harry and Harry was pretty proud of having such a special relationship with him. Teddy was more than just a godson to him, he was his son.  
“I met you're father when I was thirteen, it was on the Hogwarts Express. Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione and I were looking for a compartment, but there was only a single one free. Well, nearly free.”  
“Who sat in there?”, Teddy asked. It wasn't as if he didn't know the story, but he always questioned the same.  
“We didn't know at first, it was an adult with brown hair already greying. He was fast asleep. We didn't know until Aunt Hermione read a sign on his trunk that said: Remus J. Lupin.”  
“My Daddy.”  
“Yes, your Daddy. He was our professor that year in defence against the dark arts.”  
“Was he good?”  
“He was the best”, Harry said earnestly. “I've never had a better teacher. He was very kind and understanding and he was very patient. Even Neville, who wasn't very good in that subject learned a lot in that year. Things, that helped him during the war.”  
“Why didn't he continue teaching?”, Teddy frowned.  
“Because he was a werewolf, at first nobody knew. But eventually people found out and word got out and your father was afraid that the parents would send owls demanding another teacher.”  
“That's rubbish, if he was a good teacher why would anyone demand another?”  
“Because the world isn't fair, Teddy”, Harry said. “But it has gotten better, since the war. People are beginning to accept lycanthropy as an illness.”  
They sat on the bed in silence for a few minutes.  
“What about Mommy?”, Teddy asked.  
“I met your mother two years later, she was in the Order and came to escort me to this very house.”  
“To the Grimmauld Place?”  
“Yes, it was Headquater of the Order at that time.”  
“What was Mommy's job?”  
“She was an Auror, just out of training as I met her. She always said that her being a Metamorphmagus help her a lot during her tests and later in her job. Your mother was a very nice woman, very smart and had a great sense of humour and of course she was very clumsy. She was sort of famous for that. She would always stumble in the floor and wake up Momma Black.”  
Teddy laughed.  
“Where they together from the beginning?”, Teddy asked.  
“Oh, no, I didn't know for a long time that your mother was even interested in your father, they kept it a secret. Your father loved your mother, but he wanted her to find someone younger and richer and less dangerous.”  
“But Mommy only wanted Daddy.”  
“Exactly. Nearly two years after I met your mother they came together and married in that summer.”  
“And then they got me”, Teddy said.  
“And then they got you”, Harry confirmed.  
“And then they died”, Teddy said sadly.  
“But they died as heroes”, Harry said, “they died because they wanted you to have a better world. They loved you so much, Teddy, and they died in the hope that you could grow up in a world without fear and prejudice.”  
Teddy nodded and smiled. “Yes I know.”  
“And we have a better world now, Teddy, they succeeded. But even in this world we need to sleep, and now it is time for you to sleep.”  
Teddy yawned in reply and laid himself on his bed.  
Harry stood up and looked down at his godson.  
“Uncle Harry?”, Teddy blinked tiredly, “I love you.”  
Harry smiled. This was a first, it wasn't part of the ritual.  
“I love you, too, Teddy. Now, goodnight.”  
“Goodnight, Uncle Harry.”  
Harry turned of the light and left the room. One part of the bedtime-story was missing. That part where Remus wanted to leave the pregnant Tonks, but Harry always kept that part to himself and made sure Ron and Hermione did so too. Teddy mustn't know about this. Remus had loved him, but he wasn't perfect, nobody was, but some sins could be kept secret.


	4. Chapter 4

The world was dark for George. There was no light, just darkness and the body in front of him. The body who was the exact copy of himself. Fred. Someone, George didn't know who or couldn't remember, had closed his eyes, but still there was this small smile on his face.  
“At least he had died laughing”, Mom had said earlier, but no, it was not okay, not to George anyway. He should laugh now. He should stand beside George and tease Percy with him or Ron or anyone, but he should be there.  
George sat down on one of the chairs in the Great Hall, far away from Fred. He couldn't bear to see his body any more. He couldn't bear the thought that he was gone. George still hoped that Fred would just open his eyes and laugh and tell them it was all a joke.  
It's an awful prank, Freddie, George thought, now stop acting.  
But Fred didn't open his eyes. He was gone, really gone.  
“I'm sorry, George”, someone muttered.  
George had heard people say that million times tonight and nobody had meant it for real, but this voice really sounded sorry. In fact, it cracked as it said so. This led George to look up, in front of him stood Angelina Johnson. George hadn't even known that she was there, that she had fought. She looked as beautiful as always, exhausted and she had a cut across her temple down to her cheek it was still bleeding, even if the battle had been over for hours now.  
“You're hurt”, George said, it was a stupid thing to say, he should have thanked her for her sympathy, but it was the only thing to say, that George could think of and honestly he didn't care.  
“It's not so bad. I can wait until they took care of those who were more seriously injured”, Angelina said.  
“No”, George said, “It still bleeds. Come on, we go to Madam Pomfrey, she can heal it in a second.”   
Angelina sighed but accepted her fate and followed George through the crowd.  
They found Madam Pomfrey in a few minutes, tending the wounds of someone else.  
“Madam Pomfrey, Angelina's hurt”, George said.  
The nurse looked up, she looked as exhausted as everyone else, but she took care of Angelina's cut and with just a flick of her wand it was healed.  
“Told you, she'd fix it in no time”, George said and a ghost of a smile crept on his face until he realized that he wasn't allowed to smile any more. He couldn't smile without Fred, it wouldn't be fair.  
Angelina saw the change of emotion in George's face and without a question she hugged him. Surprisingly he let her, even leaned into her. That was when Angelina realized how deep the wound of losing Fred was for George, otherwise he would never lean on her. He was to proud to admit, that he needed the support from others.  
“Fred would tease me to no end if he saw me”, George muttered and sobbed.  
Angelina smiled, because this was when she realized he would be okay. It would take time, but he would be okay. Angelina would make sure of it.  
“If it was the other way around, he would be such a whiny baby”, Angelina whispered.  
George sobbed, but laughed softly between it.


	5. Chapter 5

“I don't like it”, Ron said.  
Hermione suppressed a sigh. He could hear that neither Harry nor Ginny could stop themselves from sighing.  
“I know, you just said it about three thousand times”, Hermione said.  
“I just wanted to make myself clear”, Ron grumbled.  
“Believe me, brother dear, you have”, Ginny said annoyed.  
She rolled her eyes at Hermione while holding hands with Harry. They were on their way to platform 9 ¾ and as Ron had said multiple times, he didn't like it. Neither did Hermione, she wasn't looking forward to spending months away from her boyfriend. She would prefer it if Ron came with her, but she knew he'd had enough of school and he liked his auror training, which had started four weeks ago. But she, Hermione, couldn't stand the fact that she did not have her NEWT's. That just wasn't her. Ron understood in a way, she supposed, but, as he had said, he didn't like it.  
At least, I have Ginny to whine with, Hermione thought. That was something to look forward to.  
They stepped through the barrier and as always Hermione found herself in another world. She had known about the wizarding world for years now, hell, she had saved it, but still she never got used to it. The train was red and big and steamed as always and Hermione felt herself smiling. This was what she had fought for this past year and this was evidence that they had succeeded.  
“I wanna go too”, Hermione heard a little boy, not much older than eight, whine.  
“Anthony, stop it”, the mother said exhausted. “In a few years you can go.”  
“Mom, look”, another boy said to the woman, already wearing his Hogwarts uniform, “I think there are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.”  
Hermione felt herself blushing. She still wasn't used to the fact that people recognised her on the street.  
“Yes, sure, darling”, the mother said distracted with her younger boy and not paying attention to the older one.  
“Mum, seriously, look”, the boy insisted. “What are they doing here?”  
Hermione didn't hear the response of the mother, her voice fainted in the crowd.  
They made their way to the train, keeping their heads down, so people wouldn't notice them.  
Ron helped Hermione put her trunk in the train with a grim expression.  
“Ron, come on, I'll be back sooner than you can blink, Christmas is not so far away”, Hermione said.  
Ron said nothing.   
Hermione smiled despite everything, she liked that Ron didn't want to let her go. She liked it very much. Then she looked for Ginny and Harry to tell them goodbye. She found them embrace and snogging not far away from them.  
“He can't be serious”, Ron said as he saw his best friend and his sister.  
“Ron, come on, Ginny is an adult now and Harry would never hurt her, you know that.”  
“But still, look at all those people starring at them.”  
In fact there was a crowd around them, pointing fingers to Harry and muttering.  
“He's famous, Ron, they stare at us too”, Hermione said.  
“What if you forget all about me?”, Ron muttered suddenly, more to himself than to Hermione.  
“Ron, look at me”, Hermione said.  
Ron looked up, his eyes full of doubt.  
“I love you”, Hermione said, “ and only you.”  
Ron searched in her eyes for something, apparently he found it, because he said: “I love you, too”  
Hermione smiled and the train piped.  
“I should get going”, she said. “It's going to depart soon.”  
Ron nodded sadly.  
“Ginny, come on”, Hermione shouted.  
Ginny and Harry broke apart and noticed confused the crowd around them.  
“Write me the date for the next Hogsmeade weekend”, Ron said.  
“I will.”  
The train piped again.  
Ginny bid her goodbye to Ron, gave a quick kiss to Harry and jumped onto the train.  
“I should go”, Hermione said. “Bye, Harry”  
Harry smiled. “Bye. See you on Christmas.”  
Hermione kissed Ron on the cheek. “Bye, Ron.”  
She turned around and made her way to the train.  
“Hermione, wait”, Ron called.  
She turned and suddenly Ron's arms were all around her and then he kissed her. The world dissolved and it was only Ron and her. Her and the man she loved.  
“Hermione”, she heard Ginny shouting. “Come on.”  
Hermione turned and saw that the train started moving. She jumped onto it in the last minute. From the door she could see Ron, he waved at her with a sad smile. She knew he still didn't like it, but at least he understood. And after all, they had gone through so much, they would survive these coming months too.


	6. Chapter 6

The Burrow was packed with people. It was the first Christmas after the war and the whole Weasley clan was present, along with Harry, Hermione, Angelina Johnson, who was holding hands with George and Andromeda with the little Teddy. Angelina was now part of the family, for she helped George with the shop and through his grief of losing his twin. And Andromeda was sort of adopted by Molly, because she could understand how it felt for a mother to lose a child.  
There was laughter on this Christmas and there were tears on this Christmas. It was an odd mixture of joy and grief. It was the joy of Christmas and of being alive and of having a life worth living and it was the grief of having lost to much and the grief that there were people absent, people, who couldn't feel the joy of being alive.  
They listened to the radio and to Fleur singing along, to which Molly applauded.  
There were so many people making so much noise, that nobody heard someone apparating outside the door. They only noticed their visitor when there was a loud knock on the door.  
Everyone fell suddenly silent, they all had the sense that this wasn't a normal visit from friends wishing them a merry Christmas.  
“Has anyone invited another?”, Molly asked.  
They all shook their heads.  
“Probably Luna and her father”, Ginny said but she knew deep down it wasn't them.  
Molly stood up and made her way to the door, everyone followed her with their eyes. They could hear her talking in the hall to someone.  
“Andromeda you have... a guest”, Molly said as she came back.  
She stepped aside and revealed Narcissa Malfoy standing there and smiling nervously.  
“Merry Christmas”, Narcissa said but nobody replied.  
“What are you doing here, Cissy?”, Andromeda asked after a long pause.  
“I came to see my sister”, Narcissa answered.  
“It's been nearly thirty years, Cissy, why would you choose to see me now?”  
“It's been twenty-four”, Naricssa correctet. “And... I've missed you.”  
Andromeda eyed Narcissa suspiciously, then she said: “Harry, take care of your godson, will you? I've got to talk to my sister.”  
She handed the baby to Harry and stood up, her face grim.  
“Come on, Cissy, let's talk outside.”  
Narcissa nodded and followed her sister.  
“Poor Andromeda, it must be strange having Narcissa Malfoy as a sister”, Bill said.  
“She's not so bad”, Harry said. “She saved my life once.”  
“But only because she wanted to see Draco”, Hermione said.  
Harry couldn't argue with that.  
It was freezing outside as the sisters stared at each other.  
“What do you want, Narcissa?”, Andromeda asked finally.  
“I have a present for you”, Narcissa said quietly.  
“Fine”, Andromeda answered. “Keep it, I don't want it.”  
Narcissa sighed as though she had expected this.  
“Look, Andy, I'm sorry for what happened during the war.”  
Andromeda stared at her.  
“You're sorry?”, she asked incredulous. “My daughter is dead, because of you. My husband is dead, because of you. My son-in-law is dead, because of you. My grandson is an orphan, because of you. It will take more than you being sorry, that I forgive you.”  
Narcissa flinched and closed her eyes.  
“I'm sorry about Nymphadora and Ted and your son-in-law. But it's not my fault. I didn't kill them. I never killed anyone.”  
“You stood on the wrong side.”  
“I never was a true follower of the Dark... of Lord Voldemort. I just wanted to protect my family, not unlike you.”  
Andromeda looked at Narcissa and suddenly she saw her sister again in her. Her sister who would always stand up for her against the world. Family was everything to Narcissa, even then, when she had been young and innocent.  
“I blame myself everyday, you know”, Narcissa whispered. “I blame myself for standing on his side and not on yours. I blame myself for not listening to you all those years ago, when you told me that the Dark.. that Lord Voldemort was bad news. And I blame myself for not being able to stop Bella. I'm so sorry, Andy.”  
Andromeda smiled and nodded. “Me too. I blame myself for leaving you, maybe Bella hadn't been so... pissed at me if I'd never left her and she maybe she would have left Nymphadora in peace, even if she had been a half-blood, but then again, there wouldn't have been a Nymphadora, would there?”, Andromeda sighed. “And I blame myself for not joining the war. Maybe Nymphadora would've survived if I had been there at the battle.”  
They stood in silence for a while.  
“So, what is that gift of yours?”, Andromeda asked.  
“It's not much”, Narcissa said and handed her sister a small present.  
Andromed unwrapped it and gasped.  
“Is that..?”  
“Yes”, Narcissa said, “It' the chain that Father gave us to our tenth birthday with the Black emblem on it.”  
Andromed stared at it. She had left the chain in the manor when she had left her family.  
“Why?”, she asked.  
“I thought”, Narcissa said and sounded unsure all of sudden, “maybe you would want to join the family again, not that there is much of it left, but still...”  
“I'd love to, Cissy.”  
Narcissa smiled in relief.  
“You kept it all those years?”, Andromeda asked.  
Narcissa shrugged. “I missed you.”  
This year Narcissa Malfoy joined the Weasley clan for a few hours in the Burrow and celebrated Christmas with them and Andromeda was happy for it.  
I've lost nearly my whole family, Andromeda thought as she put Teddy to bed that day, this bloody war took everything from me, but it has also given me a new family, for the Weasleys are like family and I regained my old family because of it.  
Andromeda fell asleep smiling. Life wasn't perfect, she still grieved, but it was okay and could only get better.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, about the late posting, but I just moved halfway around the world and was a little busy organising my life. But now that I`m settled (kind of) here is the next chapter.

It was a very normal Sunday morning, at least Harry thought so. He stood up, kissed Ginny, who was still sleeping, and made his way to the kitchen. He helped himself to a cup of coffee and paid the owl, which had brought him the daily prophet.  
Outside he heard the noise of someone apparating and felt himself smiling. It was tradition that Ron and Hermione came over to have breakfast every Sunday. In fact a few seconds later they stood in the kitchen.  
“I n-n-n-need a coffee”, Ron yawned.  
Hermione rolled her eyes on her fiancé's behaviour.  
“Good morning, Harry”, she said. “Where is Ginny?”  
“Still sleeping, you know how she is. She certainly isn't a morning person.”  
“Just like Ron, maybe it's a Weasley trait”, Hermione said.  
“Hey”, Ron exclaimed. “I'm here, am I not?”  
“Yes, you are”, Hermione laughed and kissed him on the cheek.  
Both of them helped themselves to a cup of coffee and some toast and joined Harry around the kitchen table.  
They talked for quite a while, until Ginny burst into the kitchen still in her pyjama and with a shocked expression on her face.  
“Ginny, love, is something wrong?”, Harry asked concerned.   
“I-I-I”, Ginny stuttered.  
Harry got up. “Ginny, what's wrong?”  
Ginny just stared at him with a pale face.  
“Tell me”, Harry said now deeply distressed.  
“I'm pregnant”, Ginny whispered.  
Harry didn't answer at first.  
“Really?”, he asked.  
Ginny nodded.  
Harry stared at her, then a smile crept on his face.  
“We're having a baby”, he said. “We're having a baby.”  
“Yes”, Ginny smiled.  
Harry picked her up, swung her around the kitchen and kissed her with all his passion and love.  
“Congratulations”, Hermione said and smiled.  
Ron just looked from one to the other with a grim expression.  
“I know you're married and all”, Ron said, “but you've been having sex with my baby sister and you've impregnated her?!”  
Harry just laughed and for once didn't care.


	8. Chapter 8

Neville met her during the summer break or rather he re-met her. He had known her in school after all. She hadn't been an eye candy back then, not that she had been ugly, but she hadn't been pretty either. Plus, he had never really spoken to her, she had been shy and she had been in Hufflepuff and he just hadn't been interested in talking to her. At least not until he re-met her during summer break. He was assistant professor of Professor Sprout, which made him pretty proud, to be honest. And so during summer, when school was off, he had nothing to do, which was relaxing, but also quite boring. He visited the Weasley's and Harry and Hermione. But they all were working. Hermione had this new job in the ministry and fought for the laws of houselfs. That girl was really obsessed with those creatures.  
Ginny was quite busy with Qudditch practice.  
Ron was either snogging Hermione or off to capture dark wizards and witches, mostly old Death Eaters.  
And Harry was busiest of all. He captured dark wizards too, snoged Ginny and tried to be there for a little orphan boy, whose hair changed every two seconds, and to whom Harry happened to be godfather.  
They were all happy, busy, but happy, but Neville felt a bit in the way and he couldn't blame them. So he wandered the streets of London alone, bored and a bit lonely. He felt that way, because all of his friends were happy couples, only he was still single. Not that he wasn't happy for them, but Neville couldn't help but feel a bit lonely.  
He found his way in the Leaky Cauldron and there he re-met her. She was standing behind the counter and Neville instantly knew, that he had met her, but it took him some time to remember her name. Hannah Abbott.  
It was true, that they hadn't talked very much during their time in Hogwarts, but she had been in his year and she had been in the DA, so why shouldn't he talk to her? With a shrug he made his way to the counter.  
“Hi, Hannah”, Neville said.  
She looked up and smiled as she saw him. “Oh, hey, Neville.”  
She smiled at him as if she was really happy to see him and Neville had suddenly a warm feeling in his stomach.  
“How are you? I haven't seen you since... since the battle”, she finished silently.  
Neville smiled up to her. “I'm fine. You couldn't have seen me. I work in Hogwarts now.”  
“Oh, really? What do you do?”  
“I'm assistant professor of the old Sprout.”  
“Congratulations”, Hannah smiled. “You've always been an ass in Hebrology.”   
Then she shuddered suddenly. “I don't know if I could do it. You know, work there, where all those terrible things happened. I think I would always have to think about it.”  
“That's why you didn't finish you're seventh year, isn't it?”, Neville asked, remembering that Hannah had been taken out of school during her sixth year, due to her mothers death and returned the next year, finishing sixth grade, but she never showed up to finish her seventh year.  
“Yes, I just couldn't. I thought about it. I heard that Hermione Granger would return and a few others and I thought about it. But I just couldn't. Every time I think of Hogwarts I only see those bodies in the Great Hall and hear You-Know-Who talking. I can't picture the times of going to school there any more.”  
Hannah shook her head and smiled weakly. “I sound pathetic. You went through much more than I did. And you still returned.”  
“You don't sound pathetic, Hannah. I saw you fighting during the battle. Believe me you're anything but pathetic. And I had a hard time going back there too, I still have nightmares and sometimes I wake up screaming, but if I let my fear control me, I guess, it feels to me as if Voldemort has won, after all.”  
“That's very wise, Neville.”  
Neville blushed. “I'm not wise.”  
Hannah smiled. “Yes, you are always were. I remember you're speech after we thought Harry had died, that was very wise, too.”  
Neville blushed even more.  
“Would you – Would you like to go on a date with me?”, he asked suddenly, surprised by himself.  
Hannah looked at him for a long time, then she smiled. “Yes, I'd like to.”  
Neville smiled and he didn't feel lonely any more.


	9. Chapter 9

Luna had always thought that she wasn't meant to find love. She knew, that nearly all people thought she was crazy or strange or both. She knew why they had called her “Loony” in school and she knew why she hadn't had many friends. So she had never expected to find love and she had accepted that fact. But than she found it and, even more, in an very unusual place. But that was, Luna thought afterwards, for her normal. Unusual was her whole life and her whole personality.  
The forest was magical were she met Rolf, it had strange and almost extinct creatures in it. It was even more magical than the Forbidden Forest in Hogwarts. Nobody dared to step inside it. Even Hagrid was afraid of it, he had told Luna as much. Nobody stepped inside it except Luna. Because Luna knew that the creatures she was looking for hid in those places were nobody ever stepped into.  
“Now, maybe I'll the Crumpled-Horned Snorkacks, it's got to be somewhere”, she said to herself, trying to talk away the silence and, she had to admit, the chill of fear.  
Suddenly she heard a loud roar and a human scream in terror.  
Luna didn't think long, she drew her wand and followed the scream.  
“I have to say”, she heard someone mutter with a shaking voice, “you are very interesting, but also very dangerous.”  
Luna stopped in her track. She found it quite odd to say such a thing, if one was in a life-threatening situation. But now she was curious, very curious indeed. Who was the mysterious bearer of that voice and what for heaven's sake was he doing in that cursed forest?  
She went nearer and then he saw him. He was handsome and he was in danger. In front of him stood a full-grown... Luna had no idea what it was exactly, it looked like a crossover between dragon and basilisk. But it had feathers like a bird. Luna stared at it fascinated, she had to do researches, this was a big discovery.  
The man shrieked again as the beast breathed fire at him and Luna snapped back into reality. The man was in real danger and Luna was the only one who could help him.  
“Hey, you, uh, thing”, Luna said. “Let this man live.”  
The beast turned to her, it was three times as big as her and anyone, but Luna, should have realized that getting his attention wasn't the brightest idea. But Luna was Luna.  
“Oh, you're so fascinating. I wish I could take a test of your DNA or something. Are there more of you?”  
The beast stared at her as if to say, why aren't you terrified?  
“Uhm, young lady”, the man who had been the first victim of the beast whispered, “maybe you should do something.”  
“What?”, Luna asked confused and blinked, “oh, right.”  
She raised her wand and shouted: “Stupefy.”  
The beast just gave her a confused look.  
“Oh”, Luna said. “You have dragon's skin. That's very interesting.”  
“Together maybe?”, the man asked.  
Luna blinked again, she had a hard time staying focused.  
“Of course”, she said.  
They raised their wands together and shouted: “Stupefy.”  
It didn't do much damage on the beast, but apparently it was annoyed and so it huffed and turned away.  
Luna and the stranger watched it as it disappeared into the forest.  
“Thanks”, said the man. “You probably saved my life.”  
“I don't think so, I'm sure you would've handled it all by yourself”, Luna answered.  
The man frowned. “I'm not sure if that was meant ironic. I'm Rolf Scamander.”  
He held out his hand. Luna took it and smiled. “Luna Lovegood.”  
“How can I pay you back for saving my life?”, he asked.  
“Oh, you don't need to.”  
“I insist”, Rolf said. “Maybe you'd go on a date with me?”  
Luna stared at him and then slowly she smiled. “I'd love to.”


	10. Chapter 10

Charlie was ashamed of himself. He was a coward, he knew as much. Someone who flees from his desperate and grieving family was a coward and a traitor, there was no other word for it.  
Charlie had grown up being called a traitor and he had been proud of it. To be called a traitor by Slytherins with Death Eater families was a fact that Charlie bragged with. Traitor was in his opinion a honourable term, but now for the first he called himself a traitor and for the first time he was ashamed of it. But Charlie just couldn't stay with his family any more. He just couldn't see those grieving sunken eyes any more. He just couldn't stand the fact that he could do nothing against it. So he fled to Romania, threw himself into work again and tried not to listen to that guilty voice in the back of his mind. That guilty voice, which called him a traitor and which told him that he should take care of his family and go back England. But sometimes late at night it was hard to ignore it, that's when the tears came and nothing could stop them.  
Charlie's colleagues noticed that something was off with him, but they let him be. Charlie didn't tell them of his brother's death and they didn't ask, but he could still feel their glances and hear their whispers.  
Charlie's parents sent him dozens of letters demanding if he was all right or if he would want to visit them, but Charlie couldn't. There were just too many memories in England and so many reminders that he had not been there to save his little brother Fred or to talk some sense into his other little brother Percy or to help his other little brother Ron or to save his little sister Ginny from the horrors of war or that he didn't even have the guts to help his other little brother George heal.  
Only the dragons didn't remind Charlie of anything and didn't judge him.  
Weeks passed without anything changing. Charlie stood up every day, went to work, fed the dragons, took care of them, went home and cried, sometimes he got drunk, but most of the time he just lay in bed and cried, unable to move. And then his favourite dragon, a wonderful Romanian Longhorn started to breed. Charlie was astonished he hadn't expected that, nobody had. They had thought she was unable to breed especially now, since she was very old.  
Charlie hovered over the dragon lady for months, refused to leave her side, even slept beside her cage, until the baby dragon emerged from his egg.  
“Wow”, a colleague of Charlie, Nick, said standing behind him. “He is beautiful.”  
Charlie looked at the little dragon and nodded. “Yes, he is.”  
“It's a wonder that this old dragon lady even got children”, Nick continued. “But I guess there a still things between heaven and earth nobody understands.”  
“Yeah.”  
The old dragon lady grunted and started to clean her baby. There was just one, which was unusual. Dragons had normally more children at once, but it was a wonder still.  
“You took great care of them”, Nick said and placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder.  
His hands were weathered and old, like the man himself.  
“This little dragon has a very good guardian in you”, Nick told him. “He'll never be alone. Just don't forget to take care of yourself, sometimes it's how you can help him best.”  
“What do you mean?”, Charlie asked confused.  
“I mean that you won't be any help for this dragon if you are broken yourself. I mean that sometimes it's okay to put yourself first, as long as you remember to return to your little friend when you've healed.”  
With that Nick left. Charlie never found out if he knew about his family and his brother's death, but the next day he went back to England and visited his family and they greeted him as if he had never been gone. And from then on Charlie stopped to call himself a traitor or a coward if he needed time for himself.


	11. Chapter 11

Arthur's birthday had never been celebrated big by the Weasley's, but after the battle Molly used every excuse to get her family together and nobody was allowed to be absent. Not even Charlie, who had started working in Romania again. So this birthday the Weasley's, Hermione and Harry along with Teddy found themselves squeezed together in the small kitchen of the Burrow.  
Bill talked to his farther about some new muggle device he was fond of and Harry listened, while he tried desperately to stop one-year old Teddy to pull his hair out.  
“Ow, Teddy, stop it”, Harry said.  
Teddy grinned and shook his head. “No, no no.”  
And to proof his point he pulled again.  
“Ow”, Harry whined.  
Bill heard his Dad chuckle. “I can understand him, you're hair is perfect to pull on it.”  
Harry glared at Arthur. “Don't encourage him.”  
Arthur just laughed.  
Teddy pulled again.  
“If you don't stop, I won't let you sleep at my house, Teddy. I'll get you back to your grandmother.”  
“No”, Teddy cried. “No Granny.”  
“Then be nice.”  
Arthur laughed again. “Blackmail always works best with kids.”  
“Give him to me, Harry dear”, Molly requested and stretched out her hands out.  
Harry wanted to, but as he tried to place Teddy into her arms, the boy protested.  
“No”, he cried again. “No, no, no.”  
Harry sighed. “I'm sorry, Molly.”  
“Oh, that's all right”, Molly smiled. “It just proofs that you're a good godfather.”  
Harry blushed and said nothing.  
“Okay, I zink now is as good as always”, Fleur said suddenly. “Since we talk about baby's, I have somezing to say: I'm pregnant.”  
Bill choked on his drink and coughed. Arthur patted his back sympathetically.  
“What?”, Bill said after the coughing stopped, he wasn't aware, that every eye around the table turned to him and Fleur.  
“We're having a baby”, Fleur whispered happily.  
“A baby?”, Bill asked.  
“Yeah, Bill, that's usually what comes out of having sex with a woman”, George told him.  
“George”, Molly said. “There are children present.”  
With that she looked at Ginny and Teddy.  
“Mum, Teddy won't remember any of this and I'm not a child anymore, I am grown up and know very well what sex is”, Ginny assured her.  
Harry blushed again and avoided to look at anyone, he could hear Ron grimacing.   
“We're having a baby”, Bill suddenly whispered in awe. “I'm going to be father.”  
“Poop”, Teddy told them. “Poop, poop, poop.”  
“Well if that's so”, George said, “you'll be changing diapers soon enough. You can practice at Teddy.”  
“Uh, no, I think, I'm okay”, Bill said, but he still smiled.  
A few months later Victoire was born, exactly two years after Fred had died in this dreadful battle. Bill loved her in the instant she cried furiously, letting the world know she was alive. She was a wonderful girl and she turned a day full of sadness and grief into a day of life and love and joy.


	12. Chapter 12

Percy watched silently as his family grew whole again after the war. He watched Ron and Hermione get together and wondered what had taken them so long to figure out their feelings, he watched as Bill and Fleur were happy and as Fleur got pregnant. He watched as Charlie went back to Romania, he didn't find a wife, but Percy knew that Charlie had always preferred dragons to women, so he was probably happy too. Percy even watched as George, surprisingly, healed and laughed, thanks to Angelina. And he watched, even if he despised it, as his little sister laughed and healed in Harry Potter's arms. Percy Weasley watched his siblings as they healed and knew, he could never have the same, because he had made unforgivable mistakes. Mistakes, that would never allow him to be happy again.  
It had been nearly two years since the war when Percy was tempted by a woman the first time since the war. Her name was Audrey and she was gorgeous. She was smart, funny and very, very attractive. She had blue eyes, that would sparkle whenever she laughed and she laughed a lot. Percy found himself drawn to her and wanted to spent more time with her. But he knew that was impossible, he had abandoned his family, he was to blame for his brother's death, he could never allow himself to be happy again.  
Nobody knew about Audrey. She was a colleague, immigrated from Ireland and Percy was careful not to mention her at home. Nobody knew about her until Bill, Bill of all people, visited Percy in his office.  
It had been a long, exhausting day, even after nearly two years some countries didn't trust the Britain's magic society and it was Percy's job to sort that out. But work was fun with Audrey at his side. They were nearly done for the day, when she caught him watching, Percy had been doing that a lot, lately.  
“So”, she asked, “do you have something planned afterwards?”  
Percy blinked. “What?”  
“I just meant, that maybe we could go somewhere?”  
“Uhm”, Percy stuttered. He wanted to say yes, he wanted it so badly, but there was Fred's accusing eyes watching him in the back of his mind.  
“Percy”, Bill boomed suddenly in the door of Percy's office.  
“Bill?”, Percy asked confused. “What are you doing here?”  
“I had the sudden urge to see my little brother”, Bill said.  
Percy frowned, not believing him.  
“And Fleur is driving me nuts. Pregnant women are... stressful.”  
“Who's this, Percy?”, Audrey asked.  
“Oh”, he said, realizing that she was still there, “that's one of my older brothers. That's Bill. Bill, that's Audrey, my colleague.”  
Bill smiled at her. “Nice to meet you.”  
And then he winked at her and kissed her hand.  
Percy cleared his throat.  
“You wanted to spent some quality time with me? Let's go”, he hissed.  
Percy grabbed his brothers arm and dragged him outside, over his shoulder he shouted “goodbye” to Audrey, who watched them in confusion.  
“You like her”, Bill stated matter-of-factly, once the brothers left the Ministry.  
Percy huffed. “That's none of your business and even if it was true, it wouldn't change a thing.”  
Bill sighed, looking sideways at his brother with a sad expression.  
“You know Mum and Dad are worried about you.”  
“They always worry”, Percy told him.  
Bill stopped in his tracks, turning his little brother around and forcing him to look at him.  
“I'm worried about you”, Bill said, “Charlie's worried about you. George's worried about you. Bloody hell, even Ron's worried about you and you know his empathy is about as big as a coffee bone.”  
Percy didn't reply.  
“Why don't you give Audrey a chance? She obviously likes you and you obviously like her.”  
“Because”, Percy growled, “I don't have the right to give her a chance, I abandoned you and I can't give myself a chance, not with Fred...”  
Percy sobbed, unable finish the sentence.  
Bill placed one hand on his brother's shoulder.  
“Percy”, Bill muttered, “you can't blame yourself for Fred's death. Nobody does that, not even George. It wasn't your fault. Fred was an adult, he had made his own decision by fighting in the battle and he knew the risk. He knew he was probably going to be killed. It's not your fault.”   
“But...” Percy said.  
“I know you abandoned us”, Bill interrupted. “I still remember and I won't say that it hadn't been stupid, because it had been. But, Percy, you came back in the end, didn't you? Everyone has forgiven you, now you need to forgive yourself.”  
Percy sighed. “I don't know if I'm able to do that.”  
Bill shrugged. “If you can't forgive yourself for your own sake, then do it for Audrey.”  
“Maybe”, Percy said uncertainly.  
“That's enough at the moment. Now, let's go and get George, Ron and Ginny and get something to drink. Fleur has the most horrible mood-swings, I love my wife, but I need to spent sometime without her.”  
And they did as Bill planned and this was the first time in nearly two years, that Percy allowed himself to laugh and enjoy his life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, last chapter. It´s been fun revisting this story again. I do think my style has developed a little over the years, but I still like what I wrote here. Thanks for everyone who left kudos, a comment or simply read. Love you all.

Three and a half years after the war on Christmas day the Borrow was again packed with people. Everyone was present: Bill with a once again pregnant Fleur and little Victoire, Charlie who had his hands bandaged due to a nasty burn of an even nastier dragon. Percy was there with Audrey, who too was pregnant. George, who was holding hands with Angelina, Ron with Hermione and Ginny with Harry, who had brought Teddy along. And of course the eldest: Arthur and Molly.  
Molly served the food and listened to her children ramble about different things. George and Ron were discussing the new planned shop of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade, which Ron thought about leading.  
Bill was playing with his daughter, such a sweet girl with blonde hair, who watched jealously as Teddy ran around the room.  
Fleur and Audrey were talking about their pregnancy and what to do against morning sickness, while Percy discussed some new law for houseelves with Hermione.  
Ron and Harry laughed about some inside joke they had just shared and Ginny scolded Charlie for being so dump and stick his fingers in the cage of a highly dangerous dragon.  
Molly closed her eyes and tried to summon up the presence of Fred. She had been feeling ever since he had died. She suspected it was the feeling of a mother. A mother could feel her children everywhere, no matter if alive or dead. And Molly found her son, as always. He smiled down at all Weasleys watching them with content eyes. Molly smiled back.  
“What are you smiling at?”, Arthur asked.  
Molly opened her eyes and looked at her husband.  
“Life”, she told him.  
Arthur nodded, he understood. Molly loved him, because he always understood.  
And as Molly watched her living children and felt the presence of her dead one, she continued to smile and was happy. Life would never be the same, but it went on and that was okay and everything she could wish for and everything she wanted.


End file.
